Hanging folder



W. LENNARTZ HANGING FOLDER Jan. 28,1969

Sheet Filed Feb. 27. 1967 INVENTOR.

1 1441 [H2 ZE/WMETZ BY Fig. 6

Fig. 7

Jan. 28, 1969 Filed Feb. 27, 1967 w. LENNARTZ 3,424,167

HANGING FOLDER Fig. 2 23 is 26 Anne V555.

United States Patent 3,424,167 HANGING FOLDER Walter Lennartz, Walslstrasse 9, Rothschwaige, near Dachau, Germany Filed Feb. 27, 1967, Ser. No. 618,576 Claims priority, application Germany, Feb. 25, 1966,

US. Cl. 12916.7 7 Claims Int. Cl. B42f 21/04 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE of transparent plastic and are folded over so as to form pockets therein for receiving exchangeable indentification strips.

This invention relates to a hanging folder consisting of a blank of rectangular shape which is folded once to form a support for papers or for a paper holder. The opposite, end edges of said blank are folded upon themselves to provide a pocket which opens downwardly along its lower edge and which has a recess between the ends thereof along the folded edge, and has at least one suspension hook projecting over said recess, said recess and hook being provided for suspension of the support from a supporting rail.

Known hanging folders of this type are made of cardboard and are capable of identifying the contents of the folder usually only if the folder edges are provided with windows which, however, can only receive identification strips of relatively small size. It is known that in practice it is necessary to store documents in identifiable groups in filing cabinets and the like whereby the paper holders are provided of different colors. However, to do so it is necessary to manufacture and store hanging folders in at least seven different colors, which increases the price of said hanging folders considerably. It must be added that the cardboard hanging folders have'only a limited life because the areas used the most, namely the supporting edges and the base or support are damaged too soon.

It is the purpose of this invention to construct a hanging folder of the above-discussed type in such a way that said hanging folder is durable and capable of many uses and still has the simplest construction.

To attain said purpose, the invention provides that the rectangular blank is made of a two-layer, transparent plastic foil closed on the narrow sides of the rectangle. Each narrow side has a pocket formed by folding the edge upon itself to form a supporting edge. All layers of said supporting edge are connected only in the area of the suspension device and the pocket sections thusly formed are constructed to receive replaceable identification strips.

A supporting edge is formed in this manner by simple means, said supporting edge resisting on the one hand the highest stresses and at the same time being usable on the other hand for identification of the hanging folder without requiring any additional means. Moreover, said hanging folder including the base of the folder has practically an unlimited life time with respect to the blank of two-layer plastic foil.

A known metal fitting can be used to connect all layers, said metal fitting being mounted on the supporting edge from the outside and having a U-shape for pressing to- Patented Jan. 28, 1969 ICC gether the layers between its legs. Said metal fitting may be provided with a recess opened at one edge.

A very simple connection of the foil layers in the area of the recess in the folded edge can be done in a manner whereby the layers are welded together. This has the advantage that the hanging folder has no metal parts.

To make the hanging folder suitable for the heaviest loads Without the need of a metal fitting, the blank can, according to the invention, be made of a tubular section which is provided with thickened walls in the area of the supporting edges.

The connection of the supporting-edge layers in the area of the recess can have a second function if said base is used to retain a paper file or container in the hanging folder, providing said paper holder has two projections along a lengthwise edge which may be moved underneath the rolls adjacent the connectionarea.

This solution is of great importance particularly when the papers are to be stored after they are no longer used. While the papers are in use, the paper file is arranged in the hanging folder in such a way that same cannot fall out. After the papers are no longer being used the paper holder together with the documents can be taken out of the hanging folder and can be stored. The hanging folder is then empty and can receive a further paper container. In this connection, paper files are preferably used which are of very simple structure. The projection can, for example, be arranged along a lengthwise edge of a cardboard pocket whereby the cover sheets of said pocket are connected by an elastic band which can be used in a known manner as an edge closing device.

Two embodiments of the subject matter of the invention are illustrated in the drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the hanging folder.

FIGURE 2 is a view on the inside of an opened hanging folder.

FIGURE 3 is a front view of a paper holder which is to be held in the hanging folder.

FIGURE 4 is a back view of said paper holder.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a modification of the embodiment of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 6 is a partial end view of a modified blank for forming the folder of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 7 illustrates a modification of the blank illustrated in FIGURE 6.

As illustrated in FIGURE 1, the hanging folder A comprises a side cover 1, a side cover 2 and a base or hinge portion 3. Both of the side covers and the base consist of two layers 4 and 5 of transparent plastic sheet material. Said two layers 4 and 5 form a blank having a rectangular shape wherein the narrow edges 6 and 7 of said rectangular blank are closed. For this purpose it is possible to use a single layer of plastic foil which is of a double blank length and is folded once, after which the free edges of both layers are welded together along a narrow edge of the rectangle. The blank, however, can be made of a collapsed tubular section (FIGURE 6) which is manufactured in a known manner on an extruding machine. If such tubular sections are used, the welding process is not required.

Said blank is folded once along each of the narrow edges so that a pair of two-layer pockets 41 and 42 are formed. Supporting edges 8 and 9, respectively, are formed along the upper edge of each side cover 1 and 2, said supporting edge consisting of four layers of plastic foil. This results in an excellent reinforcement of the supporting edge, namely of the parts of the hanging folder having the most stress thereon. In order to hold the pockets 41 and 42 in their folded position, metal fittings 10 and 11, being of a U-shape in cross section, are mounted, according to the embodiment of FIGURE 1, over the supporting edges 8 and 9, respectively. The legs of the U-shaped metal fittings 10 and 11 are pressed together so that they hold together all layers of the plastic foil in said pocket. Rivets or dimples 12 can also be used on the metal fittings 10 and 11. Each metal fitting has a recess 13 which is open at the uper edge and has a suspension hook 14 adjacent said upper edge. The hanging folder is suspended by the suspension hook 14 on a support rail (not illustrated).

The shape of said recess 13 is not a subject matter of this invention, and it can be selected as desired so that it has either one or two suspension hooks.

Because all of the layers of plastic foil are connected approximately in the center of each supporting edge 8 and 9, the sections of the rolled edges 6 and 7 on opposite sides of said center section form transparent pockets 15, 16, 17 and 18. Colored identification strips 19 and 20 can, for example, be inserted into the pockets 15 and 16. The pockets 17 and 18 can then be provided with labels 21 and 22 which characterize the particular contents of the hanging folder, while said colored strips 19 and 20 show to which group of procedures the respective hanging folder belongs.

Since the identification strips can be inserted later, only a single type of hanging folder need be manufactured and stored. Such a universal usability does not cause any additional costs for the hanging folder because no additional structural means, except the strips, are required.

Instead of the labels 21 and 22, folded strips could be used whereby the one folded leg is inserted in the pocket 17 or 18 and the other folded leg is inserted between the layers 4 and 5.

In the area of the recess 13, the four layers of plastic could also be connected by means of surface welding (FIGURE The shape of said surface welding 44 could correspond approximately to the shape of the metal fitting 10. In order to obtain a thick suspension hook 14 thereby making possible a secure support of the hanging folder containing the papers stored therein on the support rail, the blank can be advantageously formed from a collapsed tubular section 45 (FIGURE 6) which is provided with thickened walls 46 (FIGURE 7) in the area of the edges 6 and 7 and the layers 4 and 5 of the supporting edge 8 and 9. The wall thickness can in these sections be approximately 0.3 mm. so that the four layers together result in a thickness of 1.2 mm. Tests have shown that suspension hooks of plastic having such thickness can resist the recurring stresses. It should be realized here that the tubular section having the thickened walls could consist of a more rigid plastic.

The edges 6 and 7 are in the illustrated embodiment folded to the inside of the hanging folder. They could also be arranged on the outside of the folder covers 1 and 2. However, if said edges are located on the inside of the hanging folder, the especially favorable embodiment may be obtained which is illustrated in FIGURE 2. Here the hanging folder is shown opened so that the folder covers 1 and 2 are positioned on a single plane. A paper file or pocket 23 is positioned on the folder cover 2, said pocket being illustrated in broken lines. The pocket 23 comprises a cover sheet 24 (FIGURE 3) and a base sheet 25 (FIGURE 4), the cover sheet 24 being somewhat shorter than the base sheet 25. Moreover the base sheet 25 has two projections 26 at its open lengthwise edge and a recess 27 provided between said projections, said recess being of approximately the same size and shape as the metal fitting 10.

By moving said pocket 23 in the direction of the metal fitting the same can be moved into such a position that the metal fitting 1.0 lies within the recess 27 while the projections 26 are placed beneath the edges 6 and 7 within the pockets 41 and 42. The metal fitting 10 retains the pocket 23 in said position whereby the bend or hinge portion 28 of the pocket 23 is supported on the base 3 in its position for use.

Both sheets 24 and 25 of the pocket 23 are held together by an elastic band 29 illustrated in FIGURE 3. The cover sheet 24 has for this purpose eyelets 30, 31, 32 and 33 along its lengthwise edge. The base sheet 25 is provided with two eyelets 34 and 35 and two additional eyelets 36 and 37. The latter eyelets are in alignment with the eyelets 30 and 33 of the cover sheet 24. The end portions 43 of the elastic band 29 are guided from inside the pocket through the eyelets 31 and 32 and extend through the eyelets 30 and 33 of the cover sheet 24. Then said end portions 43 of band 29 are guided through the eyelets 36 and 37 of the base sheet 25 and are inserted from the outside through the eyelets 34 and 35 being held therein by means of cross bars 38 which are secured to the end portions of band 29.

By means of the elastic band 29, a simple cardboard envelope is converted .into a pocket whereby the sections of the elastic band 29 which extend through the eyelets 3t), 36 and 33, 37, respectively, prevent the paper from sliding out of the ends of the pocket. Thus, the band 29 is used to hold together resiliently the base and side covers, and to close the pockets at the ends. The portions of the band which are provided between the eyelets 30, 31 and 32, 33 on the front side of the cover sheet 24 can also be used as a closing device for the top of the pocket by pulling said portions over the edges 39 and 40 of the base sheet 25.

Although particular preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, variations or modifications thereof which come within the scope of the appended claims are fully contemplated.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A hanging folder mountable upon a rail comprising a blank having the shape of a rectangle and being folded once to form a base and side covers for a paper holder; said blank when folded having end edges which are positioned opposite each other with said end edges being folded once upon themselves, each folded end edge being provided with an open recess at its upper edge and having at least one suspension hook projecting over said recess, said recess and hook being provided for suspension of the folder on a rail, said rectangular blank being made of two-ply, transparent plastic sheet material closed at the end edges of the rectangle, each end edge being folded upon itself to form a hanging edge, and each such end edge having said upwardly opening recess therein, and means connecting all layers of the hanging end edges together only in the area of the recess, whereby the folded end edges are constructed as pockets to receive identification strips.

2. A hanging folder according to claim 1, wherein said connecting means comprises a metal fitting for connecting 'all of said layers, said metal fitting being mounted from the outside over each folded end edge and being of a U-shape in cross section and pressing together the layers between its legs and being provided with said recess and said hook therein.

3. A hanging folder according to claim 1, wherein all layers of the end edges are welded together in the area of the recess.

4. A hanging folder according to claim 1, wherein the blank consists of a collapsed tubular section.

5. A hanging folder according to claim 4, wherein the tubular section is provided with thickened walls in the area of the hanging end edges.

6. A hanging folder according to claim 1, wherein all layers of the end edges are pressed together in the area of the recess, and wherein said pressed area is used to retain the paper holder in the hanging folder by providing two projections along one lengthwise edge of said paper holder, which projections may be moved underneath the folded edges adjacent the area of connection.

7. A hanging folder according to claim 6, wherein the projections are arranged along a lengthwise edge of said pocket to receive unpunched papers, and wherein the pocket has cover sheets which are connected by an elastic band, which band can be used as an edge closing device for the pocket.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,862,323 12/1958 Mascolo 129-16.7

6 FOREIGN PATENTS 3/1965 Great Britain.

OTHER REFERENCES Zippel, German Application DAS 1,155,757, published October 1963.

JEROME SCHNALL, Primary Examiner. 

